Marlins Park wins 'green' award

May 28, 2012|By Craig Davis, Sun Sentinel

MIAMI — The Marlins' new ballpark was designed not only to sustain the franchise, but also the environment.

Those efforts paid off. Marlins Park has been recognized as the world's "greenest" stadium with a retractable roof, as well as the most environmentally sustainable park in Major League Baseball. It is the first in each case to receive the LEED, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, gold certification for new construction.

"Achieving LEED Gold is an extraordinary accomplishment," said Rick Fedrizzi, president of the U.S. Green Building Council, who presented the certificate Friday. "This is not a trophy. I like to think of this as the organization has earned its PhD."

Notably, the ballpark achieved a 22.4 percent reduction in energy use, compared with similar projects, and will use 52 percent less water.

The white exterior and extensive use of glass, combined with an efficient air-conditioning system, help keep energy costs down, said Claude Delorme, the Marlins' head of ballpark development.

But many subtle factors went into producing the points needed for gold certification.

For instance, more than 49 percent of building materials were from recycled content, including rubberized flooring in the dugouts and clubhouses from recycled Nike shoes. Bamboo, a rapidly renewable material, was used for paneling in the suites.

In addition, the 249 urinals will save about 6 million gallons of water per year.

"When we first started the project we had a goal in mind of LEED silver," Delorme said. "The number one reason we attained gold is we started early. Most of the other [ballpark] projects, when we compared to our peers, LEED was almost an afterthought."